Parent FAQs

Career Planning and Guidance

The Career Development offers guidance on all aspects of career planning and job searching. We provide individual advisement through scheduled appointments and "drop-ins" (where students can come without an appointment to get quick questions asked and answered). We administer a database of employment opportunities ranging from internships to full-time post graduate positions and assist students in preparation for their job search through assistance with resumes, cover letters and interviewing strategies. Additionally, we maintain an exceptional Career Library with over 100 books, magazines and newspapers providing up-to-date resources on career fields. We also organize career fairs where employers come to NSU to present their organizations to our students. For a full list of our services, please click here.

Parents can play an important role in supporting their student with their career issues in the following ways:

Encourage and support your student as he/she explores different career options through research at the our office, internships, part-time jobs, extracurricular and volunteer activities, and informational interviews

Suggest he/she use the resources available at Nova, especially the Office of Career Development.

Serve as a source of career and job information

Ask questions about their career interests and job search activities and show interest in their ideas and strategies.

Encourage your student to meet with people in fields that interest them (the Trojan Network)

Be open-minded rather than telling your student what major, career field, or job he/she ought to pursue

Provide positive feedback when asked your opinion about career ideas, interests and strategies

He/She can access the website at any time to get familiar with what is contained throughout the site. Newly enrolled freshmen and graduate should also set up their account on CAREERShark, our online career management system.

No, their ability to access the career website and use its services continues for life. Recent graduates are eligible to use our career services for free 3 months after they graduate. Career Development does offer 2 discounted career packages for alumni tailored to suit their specific career needs.

The Career Development offers assessments for students to provide them with new ideas for career exploration. These include the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) which measures general interests and the activities/work that matches those interests, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which is a widely used personality assessment used to help students understand their individual differences and uncover new ways to work and interact with others, as well as helping to assess possible career fields as they relate to the student's MBTI type.

No career assessment is sophisticated enough to define the "perfect or ideal" job for a student or tell them what careers they should pursue. Typically the assessments describe patterns of personality preferences and interests that correspond to those patterns commonly found among people who are satisfied in various occupations, and to help in the exploration of the world of work.

The best fields/careers are those that afford graduates the opportunity to use their skills, knowledge, and experiences to achieve their personal and professional goals. One student may be excited to begin working in the government sector that may lead to positions in national or international policy, while another student may have a dream job of working for the National Football League in a sports management position. What Career Development offers are the resources for students to pursue a wide array of career opportunities. What would be the best job? It definitely depends on the student.

An internship is an on-site pre-professional experience that provides students with the opportunity to gain practical work experience and exposure in actual career fields. Interns typically work with designated managers and are provided with feedback regarding their projects and activities.